Stepping Up the Beer Game: Pinoy-made Craft Beers can go world-class too!

(As published on Hardware Zone Magazine's November 2015 Issue)

Pinoys are certified beer lovers. From simple hangouts to big parties, beers are always a part of almost every Filipino gathering. Typical beer drinkers consume highly commercialized local beers; but these days, the craft beers produced by local microbrewers are gradually changing the drinking scene.

With the emergence of locally produced craft beers in the local alcoholic beverage industry, the Filipinos are offered with a more diverse selection when it comes to flavors and beer profile.

As defined by the Brewers Association, craft brewers are those that are small, independent, and traditional. Craft beer may be produced in small volumes but it actually steps up the Filipino beer game. These local craft beers can actually go up against imported beers because of their world-class quality.

I recently got to visit the state of the art brewing facility of a new local craft brewer in Imus, Cavite. While other microbrewers do brewing manually and in small workspaces, Great Islands Craft Brewery uses high-tech equipment in a big work area, making it the biggest craft brewery in the Philippines.

 Great Islands takes pride on its Master Brewer, Allan “Baldis” Agala who graduated from the World Brewing Academy – Siebel Institute of Chicago. Another brilliant mind behind GICB is Mags Villafuerte, an importer and distributor of alcoholic beverages and one of the co-founders of The Beer Club of Manila, a beer enthusiast group that aims to educate Filipinos about beer and beer styles. To complete the team is Mario McDermott, a passionate American beer brewer who used to brew beer back in his hometown in Texas before moving to the Philippines as a microbiology scientist in a multinational pharmaceutical company.

Great Islands presents a wide range of beer flavors. Two of its seasonal flavors are the Halo-Halo Ale, inspired by the famous Filipino dessert that is perfect for summer, and the Bicol Express Wild Chili Ale, inspired by the famous spicy dish from the Bicol region. Its all-year round flavors are the 7107 Wheat Ale and its bestseller, the Pearl of the Orient Indio Pale Ale. The latter goes perfectly with Filipino “pulutan” such as Sisig, Crispy Pata, and Adobo.

You can now enjoy these interesting local craft beer flavors in the following establishments: The Bottle Shop, The Perfect Pint, Chihuahua, Buffalo Wings and Things, Big Bad Wolf, and Belle and Dragon.

My Last-minute Japan Trip

As a reward for finishing graduate school, my aunt granted my wish to spend winter in Japan (where she's residing with her family). It's my 3rd 3-month trip to Japan but it's my first time during winter 'cause I usually go during spring. It was a last minute trip because there have been some delays in our (me and my grandmother) visa application. Our visa was released late in the afternoon of November 26, so we were able to pick it up from the agency on the morning of the 27th. That day we confirmed and paid for our ticket, which has been pre-booked on the 28th. We only had the afternoon and night of the 27th to pack our stuff because our flight was at 5am the next day. Each roundtrip ticket (Manila-Narita-Manila) cost Php 24,000 (taxes included) via Delta Airlines. The trip was too sudden that I didn't have the time to say bye to my friends.

luggage :)

super early flight

with the granny

Anyway, I was satisfied with Delta. The ground crew and the cabin crew were very nice and efficient. Thanks to the pilot, we had a smooth flight (especially the landing and the take off). We travelled for 4 hours. However, there was a long queue at the immigration gates so it took us an hour before getting out of Narita Airport. My uncle came to get us. It's a 4 to 5-hr drive from Narita to Suwa, Nagano (my aunt's apartment) so we had lunch brunch first at the nearest service area. Since the weather's too cold (less than 10 degrees Celsius), I got a ramen.

the view before landing at Narita

udon

spicy ramen

My grandmother only stayed 'til December 14. She usually travels with me to Japan and stays for 3 months but this time, she just stayed for 2 weeks since she preferred spending Christmas in the Philippines, plus she'll be coming back here with my cousin on March (spring) for 3 months again. But during the two weeks she's here, we've been going to different places, dining and shopping. We often go to onsen (hot spring) too to relax.

aunt's bedroom

cousin's bedroom

i love buying veggies for the healthy meals I make

it's a dream come true! haha always wanted to try this :))

One place we're visiting often is Matsumoto City (Nagano). We love shopping at Don Quijote, a place with literally everything under the sun. It has lots of cute stuff too, plus some branded items such as bags and jewelries. Hard Off, a recycle shop there is a must visit too. Some of the second hand items there actually look new. And of course, we've visited a lot of Daiso (100 yen) shops too.

Edion Mall (electronics)

kaiten sushi (conveyor belt sushi)

Starbucks tumbler Nagano

ear muffs :)

no Green tea flavor :(

road trip :)

ramen and gyoza love

shoe lockers at the resto

Japanese food overload...and it didn't cost nor taste cheap.

vendo!

one of the best ramen places

used stuffed toys that actually looked new

lovin' these neon kitchenware from Daiso

So I spent Christmas with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and my aunt's bestfriend. (I call my aunt Tita Mama because she's like my second mom). Christmas is just like a usual day in Japan ('cause they're not Christians); however, they acknowledge the Christmas-New Year holidays  that's why they have Christmas-New Year Sale too. On Christmas Even, we exchanged gifts, had Noche Buena, and Skyped with our families in the Philippines. It wasn't a white Christmas because it didn't snow that night/day, but I'm glad to have experienced winter Christmas.

the winter halo before Christmas

our mini Christmas tree and Coach presents :)

Christmas cake

fruits

Noche Buena plus Skype w/ the fam in the Phils

with my cousin in our Santa Claus costumes

Christmas hoodie! haha

More of my Japan trip in my upcoming posts.

xoxo,

city girl :)

My First DigiPerm Experience

Last October, I came across a discount voucher of Tony & Jackey (Korean salon) on Metrodeal. It offered Rebonding or DigiPerm service for Php 2,999 only instead of Php 9,000 (original price). Since I've been wanting to try having curls, I immediately both the voucher. Then I called their branch at SM North The Block for an appointment. The next day, I came to the salon and presented my voucher together with my ID.

My hair was shampooed then it was assessed by the Korean stylist named Wendy. According to her, since my hair is coloured and a bit dry, they would have to apply heavy hair treatment so it won't be damaged by the chemicals that would be used in the digiperm process. The treatment costs a total of Php 4,000 (one was Php 2,500 and another was Php 1,500); however, I wasn't informed over the phone about it so I wasn't able to bring enough cash. They are not accepting credit cards at any of their branches so be sure that you bring enough cash. After telling them that I didn't have enough cash, they offered me the treatment that's worth Php 1,000. However, the stylist was worried that my hair would be damaged because I didn't avail of the better (yet more pricey) treatment.

Anyway, so we still proceeded. I showed them a photo of the type of curls I want to achieve so Wendy cut my hair according to that style before proceeding with the curling process. The assistant of the stylist applied treatment to my hair, covered, and heated it for 15 minutes. While waiting, they played a movie for me, which I watched through the mirror screen. Yeah, it's so high-tech!:)) Then they washed my hair, put the chemical for curling and covered it with plastic. After a couple of minutes, Wendy put my hair in the digital perming machine. After 30 minutes, the assistant washed my hair and it's done! They combed my hair while it's wet then twisted it using their fingers and they continued doing that as they were drying my hair with a blower. When it dried, Wendy put some cream that would hold the curls naturally (not like gel that would harden my hair).

I was happy with the result. A lot of my friends were impressed with the curls that I got. The service had 2 weeks warranty. After 2 days I came back because I felt that my curls were a bit gone. Then my hair was assessed by my stylist. They shampooed and dried my hair. Apparently, since it was my first time to have a digiperm, I wasn't used to setting my hair yet. They taught me how to do it so I wouldn't lose the curls. So this was Wendy's instructions:

1. After showering, wipe hair with a towel.

2. Comb hair with wide-toothed comb.

3. Split hair in half.

4. On one side, split hair again into two.

5. Twist each group.

6. Dry it with a blower, or just let it dry on its own.

7. Apply cream that would hold the curls. (They sell a bottle for Php 2,000 but I didn't buy because I also have a hair cream from Japan at home. However, they also have a cream which can be applied to wet hair and it's priced at Php 2,500.)

Anyway, so I just continued practicing what I've learnt from my stylist and so far, I've been happy with my curly hair. Whenever I wake up, it felt like I came from the salon because of the natural look of my curls.

xoxo,

city girl

Bangkok Valentine's Weekend: Day 1

We left the hotel around lunch time. We took a cab to Terminal 21, the airport-inspired mall in downtown. We had lunch at The Terrace, a Thai restaurant. We had pad thai, tofu, tom yum. I think all of those cost us around ThB 900. Since I wasn't able to have my peso changed into baht, I just withdrew from the ATM. Luckily, there's an AEON branch (with ATM machine) in Terminal 21 that I was able to withdraw in baht without extra charges. Before doing so, I actually searched online for banks that do not charge for transactions of international cards, and so I found AEON, which I have first encountered when I was in Japan.

Tokyo bathroom

After lunch, we did a bit of shopping. We found nice coats on sale! Got mine for ThB 500! :) Then we took the Sukhumvit line from Asok to Siam. There we went around multiple malls namely, Siam Paragon Mall, Central World, Platinum Fashion Malls 1 and 2, and other nearby malls. We loved Platinum for lots of cheap yet awesome finds. There we bought a pair of flats for ThB 250 and colored pants for ThB 500. Actually, there were a lot of stuff to choose from. Had I brought a lot of money, I would've shopped clothes and resell them in Manila haha!

spotted a Crossfit box! :)

My name just means Royalty :)

a day after Vday

Siam Paragon

this is like the Thai version of grotto

awesome shopping spot!

yummy milk tea

After shopping, we headed back to the hotel where Dr. Sopon (my Thai friend) picked us up. We walked to his nearby office and toured around. There we found campaign materials 'cause apparently, he was also running for Bangkok Governor in the upcoming elections. Anyway, he took us to Central Plaza, a nearby mall, for dinner. We had a hot pot dinner at MK Restaurant. We had so much for dinner, and the best part was, it's free!:)

After dinner, we were off to Asiatique, hangout place by the bay. It's like their version of San Miguel by the Bay behind Mall of Asia. There were a lot of different shops (clothing, food, pets, toys, etc.), bars, and restaurants there. Plus there's a huge ferris wheel! We were there to meet with Narid, a Thai friend of mine, and her Chinese husband. They treated us to drinks at Checkmate, a restobar. The place has got a nice ambiance, plus there's a live band playing good Thai music. The singer was one of the last few contestants of "The Voice" Thailand. The place also serves sumptuous dishes. But the best part for me was we were able to try Hoagaarden Rosee for the first time! It's a cherry flavored beer and it really tasted good. I'm wondering why I couldn't find one in Manila.

we kept spotting Happy Lemon in every Asian country we visit :))

historical spot

LOLing at this :)))

new coat and new flats haha

artists

an artist with a unique style in his works

This photo grabbed our attention that's why we stopped by this artist haha he was with Mario Maurer in Jandara's (movie) premiere. Anyway, while the artist was talking to us, he was actually quickly drawing us on a piece of paper. He gave it to us and he asked for donation after. Oh well, we gave him 20 baht.

We had a great time catching up with my Thai friend and her hubby. She's still so fab and pretty that I don't feel she's getting old. Just before midnight, they brought us back to the hotel with their cutie white Mini Cooper. Well they're so blessed for living a perfect life, but the best thing about them is, they're very down to earth. You know, it really pays to keep in touch. It was in 2009 when I first met them and this time was just the second. I'm so happy having met such nice foreign friends.:)

Thai music

Hoegaarden Rosee for the ladies! Cheers!

awesome night :)

Since it's always our habit to have a central fund every trip (and I'm always the one handling the money), our summary of daily expenses would always mean that it covered 2 pax. Here's an estimate of how much we've spent:

1. Lunch - ThB 900
2. Transportation - ThB 300 (incl. toll fees - to avoid traffic)
3. Dinner - FREE
4. Snacks - Thb 200
5. Drinks - FREE
TOTAL: ThB 1,400 or PhP 1,950 (Php 975 each)

xoxo,

city girl